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Adrianne Ross
Lifespan Faith Development, UUA
Boston, MA
We offer a sampling of observances, July-December both religious and
secular, for your consideration as a planning resource. It is by no means
a complete offering of all of the religious and secular holidays that
are celebrated worldwide.
JUL 1: Canada Day recalls the beginning of the Dominion of Canada
in 1867 CE.
JUL 4: Independence Day in the United States marks the birth of
the United States in 1776 CE.
JUL 6: This is celebrated in Australia as Aborigine’s
Day, also known as National Aboriginal and Islander Day of Celebration
(NAIDOC). A main purpose of this day is to promote increased understanding
of Aboriginal cultures in Australia.
JUL 9: The Martyrdom of the Bab is observed by members of the Baha’i
world faith. It was the date in 1850 when the Bab was executed for his
religious beliefs at the age of 31. Members of the Baha’i faith
abstain from work and commerce on this day.
JUL 11: This is recognized by the UN as World Population Day.
Themes for the day include: “Efforts to slow down population growth,
to reduce poverty, to achieve economic progress, to improve environmental
protection, and to reduce unsustainable consumption and production patterns
are mutually reinforcing.”
JUL 13: Khao Pansa marks the beginning of the Buddhist lent. It
is the preferred day for Buddhist men in some countries to be ordained
as monks. It is celebrated annually in the full moon of the eighth lunar
month, typically in July.
JUL 13: This is the first day of a three day celebration: O-bon
– a Japanese Shinto celebration in honor of their ancestors. They light
lanterns, hold circular folk dances, and welcome their departed’s
spirits.
JUL 24: This is Pioneer Day, the anniversary of the date
when the first members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
entered Salt Lake Valley after a long westerly trek to escape religious
persecution and attempted genocide at the hands of other Christians.
JUL 30: Followers of Shinto observe Oh-harai-taisai, the
Grand Purification Ceremony. This is an ancient ceremony whereby the believer
can obtain purification from sins and offenses committed during the first
half of the lunar year.
August holidays that move:
Hindus celebrate Raksha Bandhan on the full-moon day in their month
of Sravana. It is a festival honoring the loving relationships between
brothers and sisters.
August fixed holidays:
AUG 1: Lammas, the first harvest festival, is celebrated by Wiccans
and many other neo-pagans on this day. It is called Lughnasadh in Irish
Gaelic. It is a joyous celebration that some celebrate on AUG 6.
AUG 3: Tibetan Buddhists observe Shakyamuni Buddha Day (a.k.a.
Siddhartha Buddha Day). Believers meditate on the Buddha’s teachings
and strive to fulfill the Precepts. Other Buddhists call it Dharma Day.
AUG 6: This is Hiroshima Day, the anniversary of the detonation
in 1945 of the first bomb to be used against human beings.
AUG 7: Jews observe Tisha B’Av: a day of fasting in
recollection of tragedies in the history of the Jewish people, including
the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 586 BCE by the Babylonians,
and in 70 CE by the Romans. It also recalls the expulsion by Christians
of the Jews from Spain in 1492, which also occurred on this day. It is
a day of mourning and fasting from dawn to dusk.
AUG 19: A Hindu festival of Sri Krishna Jayanti celebrates
the birth of Krishna, the second person in the Hindu trinity, and the
eighth or ninth incarnation of Vishnu.
AUG 24: This is the first day of an eight-day observance by Janists
called Paryushana. It marks the cessation of travel by the nomadic
tribes during the monsoon period. If the tribes were to travel, they could
not avoid killing many insects?a violation of their principle of Ahimsa
(non-violence).
AUG 26: Women’s Equality Day, the anniversary of the date
in 1920 when the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution was proclaimed
to be in effect. This followed ratification by three-quarters of the state
legislatures. It declared women to be voting citizens in the United States.
AUG 31: Sri Ganesha Chaturthi (a.k.a. Ganesha Chaturthi) is a ten-day
festival marking the birthday of Ganesh, the Lord of Beginnings, and one
of the major Hindu deities. He is generally portrayed with the head of
an elephant. He is the son of Shiva and Parvati, and is widely worshiped
as the god of wisdom and success. His support is often invoked at the
start of new projects.
September holidays that move:
September is National Hispanic-American Heritage Month.
The first Monday in September is Labor Day, a secular holiday.
It celebrates the contributions made by U.S. workers.
Chusok (a.k.a. Crop Day, Moon Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival) is
held in many Far-Eastern countries on the 15th day of the eighth lunar
month. Ancestors and guardian spirits are honored.
Rosh Hashanah occurs on the first and second days of Tishri. In
Hebrew, Rosh Hashanah means, literally, “head of the year”
or “first of the year.” Rosh Hashanah is commonly known as
the Jewish New Year and Yom Kippur as the Day of Attonement. They are
the first and last days of this ten-day Jewish celebration. This period
is dedicated to introspection, reconnecting to relations, and the betterment
of self.
International Day of Peace declared by the United Nations to be
observed on the opening day of its annual regular session. It is supported
by “We the Peoples” initiative, which is composed of 250 organizations.
People all over the world are asked to stop at noon, local time, to think
about and/or pray for peace.
Pagan Pride Day: This is celebrated in various U.S. cities on days
close to the fall equinox by neo-pagans, such as Wiccans, Druids, etc.
September fixed holidays:
SEP 1: The First Parkash is observed by Sikhs. It recalls the day
when Adi Granth, their holy scripture, was installed at the Golden Temple
in 1604 CE.
SEP 8: International Literacy Day, sponsored by UNESCO, the United
Nations’ Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. It focuses
attention on adult and child literacy.
SEP 10: Buddhists celebrate Ullambana (a.k.a. Happy Buddha
Day and the feast of the Hungry Ghosts). They make offerings in the form
of candles (symbolic of wisdom), fresh flowers (symbolizing the shortness
of life), and incense (representing good conduct) to a statue of the Buddha.
SEP 12: Zoroastrians observe the first day of Ghambar Paitishem,
a celebration of the harvesting of corn and of the creation of the earth.
SEP 21-23: The Fall Equinox (a.k.a. Mabon) occurs on this day?a
time when daytime and nighttime are closest to being equal?each lasting
approximately 12 hours. It is the main harvest festival for Wiccans and
other neo-pagans and is also celebrated by followers of many aboriginal
religions worldwide.
SEP 23: Buddhists celebrate Higan, which means literally
“the other shore.” It is celebrated on the day of the equinox.
It symbolizes peace, equality, and harmony. Ancestors are honored, and
families visit their family gravesites.
SEP 26: This is the first day of the ten-day Hindu celebration
of Navaratra Deshara. Durga, wife of Shiva, is honored.
SEP 23 or 28: These are the days on which the birthday of Confucius
is remembered by followers of Confucianism. Confucius, teachings stress
self-enlightenment through the Five Virtues of charity, justice, propriety,
wisdom, and loyalty.
October holidays that move:
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Jews celebrate the first day of Sukkot (a.k.a. Sukkoth, the Festival
of Booths and Festival of Tabernacles). Booths are built to remind Jews
of their wandering through the wilderness after their Exodus from Egypt.
Thanksgiving Day in Canada is held on the second Monday of October.
Being a harvest celebration, it is celebrated in Canada earlier than in
the United States because it is so cold there.
Ramadan is the month when Muslims believe that the first verses
of their holy book, the Qur’an, were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad
some 1,400 years ago. Its precise beginning does not depend upon the actual
timing of the new moon. It requires the viewing of the crescent moon by
the unaided eye.
October fixed holidays:
OCT 5: World Communion Sunday. This is the held on the first Sunday
in October each year. It is a day when many Protestant churches around
the world celebrate communion. Often, a congregation will hold a multi
cultural service. “... on this Sunday we are reminded that Christ
has called us to a table that is universal, that encompasses all the diversities
of this world, a table that sees difference as a gift not a burden.”
OCT 5: National Coming-out Day is celebrated every year on this
day by gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgenders, and their allies. They
are urged to “come out of the closet,” and be open with their
sexual orientation.
OCT 13: Columbus Day in the United States. This holiday is also
held on the second Monday in October. It is considered a celebration by
many Americans of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the new world.
OCT 13: Many Natives celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day.
OCT 19: Jews celebrate Simhat Torah (a.k.a. Rejoicing in
the Law). This celebration signifies that the reading of the Torah is
complete and the annual reading cycle is begun anew in each synagogue.
OCT 20: The Birthday of the Bab will be celebrated by members of
the Baha’i World Faith, starting at sundown on the 19th. They observe
the anniversary of Mirza Ali Muhammed’s birth in 1819.
OCT 24: United Nations Day commemorates the day that the UN Charter
went into effect in 1945.
OCT 25: The five-day festival of Diwali begins. Also called
Divali, Dewali, Deepavali, and the Festival of Lights, it is a celebration
of good over evil, and is related to ancient stories of struggles between
a goddess and a demon. It is observed by Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains. It
is also the time of the New Year according to the Vikrama calendar.
OCT 26: Some Protestant Christians celebrate Reformation Sunday.
This is the anniversary of October 31, 1517, when Martin Luther wrote
his Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences (commonly known
as The 95 Theses) protesting the practices of the Catholic Church. This
triggered the Protestant Reformation.
OCT 31: Wiccans and many other neo-pagans will celebrate Samhain.
Samhain means “summer’s end.” It is the Wiccan New Year’s
Eve, and a major Sabbat?one of eight yearly festivals.
OCT 31: Halloween is celebrated (a.k.a. All Hallow’s Eve).
November holidays that move:
November is National American Indian Heritage Month.
Thanksgiving weekend in the United States is celebrated on the
4th Thursday in November.
Eid al-Fitr, the last day of the holy month of Ramadan. The interval
recalls the gift of the Holy Qur’an to humanity. The actual date
is determined when the new moon becomes visible.
November fixed holidays:
NOV 1: All Saints’ Day (a.k.a. All Hallows’ Day) is
a holy day when Christians in the West recall the lives of the saints.
The Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate All Saints’ Day in the springtime?the
Sunday after Pentecost.
NOV 2: All Souls’ Day (a.k.a. the Day of the Dead). This
is a Roman Catholic day for prayer and alms-giving in memory of ancestors
who have died. Catholics pray for the souls of the dead in an effort to
hasten their transition from Purgatory to Heaven.
NOV 11: This is Veterans Day in the United States and Remembrance
Day in Canada?a time to recall the sacrifices made by our soldiers during
wartime and, more recently, during peacekeeping duties.
NOV 12: Members of the Baha’i World Faith celebrate the Birthday
of Baha’u’llah. He is regarded as the divine messenger
and the founder of the Baha’i faith.
NOV 22: This is annual Day of Peace – “a special
day of Light, Healing and Prayer for World peace.” It is sponsored
by “Spirit Circle, in accordance with it’s mission of uniting
spiritual people from all walks and paths...”
NOV 28: Members of the Baha’i World Faith observe the day
of Ascension of Abdu’l-Baha, recalling the death of Abdul-Baha.
NOV 21: This is Quds Day among Muslims – a time of solidarity
among oppressed Muslims.
December holidays that move:
Jews observe the first day of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights.
One candle of an eight-candle menorah is lit each day. The observance
recalls the war fought by the Maccabees in the cause of religious freedom.
Bodhi Day (a.k.a. Rohatsu) is when Buddhists of the Pure Land tradition
recall the enlightenment of the Buddha in 596 BCE. Some years, it is celebrated
the Sunday immediately preceding December 8th.
December fixed holidays:
DEC 1: This is World AIDS Day.
DEC 10: This is Human Rights Day, the anniversary of the
signing of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights on
December 10, 1948 at the Palais de Chaillot in Paris. The document outlines
the minimum human rights standards that should be available in all countries
of the world. They include “the right to life, liberty and nationality,
to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, to work, to be educated,
[and] to take part in government.”
DEC 20-22: This is the Winter Solstice – the day with the
longest nighttime and shortest daytime of the year. Wiccans and other
neo-pagans often refer to this day as “Yule”; it is one of
their four minor Sabbats.
DEC 25: This is when Christmas, the nominal birth date of
Jesus Christ, is celebrated by Western churches that follow the Gregorian
calendar.
DEC 26: This is the first day of a week-long celebration of Kwanza
(a.k.a. Kwanzaa, Quansa). It is an inter-faith Afro-American and Pan-African
holiday celebrating family, community, and culture. “Kwanza”
is a Swahili word for “the first,” or “the first fruits
of the harvest”. It continues until January 1.
DEC 26: The death of the prophet Zarathustra is observed
by Zoroastrians.
DEC 26: Boxing Day is celebrated in Australia, the Bahamas, Jamaica,
Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. It is apparently related
to an old custom of giving cash or presents to poor people.
DEC 31: New Year’s Eve. A generally secular celebration. |
